Valuation of the recreational use of the Calares del Mundo and Sima Natural Park through the Travel Cost Method

• Main Authors: A. Samos Juárez, R. Bernabéu Cañete
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria 2013-07-01
• Series: Forest Systems
• Online Access: http://revistas.inia.es/index.php/fs/article/view/2534

<p><em>Aim of study: </em>The purpose of this study is to estimate the economic value of the recreational use of a protected natural area. The importance of the study lies in the justification of these valuations due to the use that society perceives from the environmental benefits of these areas as well as to the valuable information for management for public administrators with the aim of checking the budget that they manage.</p><p><em>Area of study:</em> Calares del Mundo and Sima Natural Park (Albacete, Castilla-La Mancha).<em></em></p><p><em>Material and methods:</em> With the purpose of determining consumer surplus, 410 surveys were made in August, 2009 and the individual travel cost method was used.<em></em></p><p><em>Main results:</em> The value the visitor conceded for the recreational use of the park was 12.58 € and the annual consumer surplus value added for recreational use reached almost 3.5 million euros.<em></em></p><p><em>Research highlights: </em>This research emphasizes that the results are along the same lines as those from similar studies carried out in natural areas of Spain as well as in natural areas of other countries.<em></em></p><p><strong>Key words</strong>: natural areas; travel cost method; consumer surplus; Castilla-La Mancha.</p>